Notice the prompted action from the cleansing of that sin. That we may serve God. All of God’s actions are intentional and purpose filled. We are cleansed that we may serve.

This time of year, as much as any, is a time where we find many in need whether it be financially, physically, Mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Seek out ways to serve someone today. You have been blessed to be a blessing

Thanks for sticking it out with me all 5 days.  It was quite a challenge for me, especially with my wife’s good cooking and all the companion smells that were coming from the kitchen.

As far as the taste of the shakes and snacks, these are all foods that I like anyway like fruit, nuts, yogurt, etc. so I enjoyed everything.  I think the thing that I noticed the most was that I tend not to ever limit my portions.  If it’s something I like, I will generally eat all of it in one sitting.

I can usually get away with overeating because my metabolism is high and I only sleep about 4-6 hrs per night so there isn’t really a weight gain with all of the extra calorie burning that goes on. By the way I ended up losing 10 lbs during this cleanse.  Mostly in abdominal fat.

I would say the most important lesson I learned about myself during this cleanse is that I have not mastered my body when it comes to food.  While I usually eat healthy, I don’t pay too much attention when I eat at all, other than to devour and delight in its taste and aroma.

Paul cites in 1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

While we have been freed by the fulfillment of the law in Christ, we should not leave open doors for gluttony to enter.  I have also observed in myself that this can be an open door to trigger other sins such as selfishness, lust, anger (non-righteous), and pride.

I notice even this morning a greater sense of wanting to be alert and careful of keeping God’s temple (my body) Holy for Him.  This goes beyond food!  I have an even greater admiration of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting!

May we seek to be mastered only by God Himself!

AFTER DAY 5

I feel victorious.  While I don’t feel a ton of physical changes, I feel that I have grown closer to God and have a better understand of the role that food plays in my life.  I have a genuine desire to be more aware of what I’m putting in my body.  I was kind of discouraged yesterday that I didn’t feel more physically.  It’s like anything else; when we are pursuing a worthy goal, we may get discouraged along the way.  When we stick it out to the end, we will see the fruit!

I definitely recommend this to anyone serious about total health.  For me this cleanse impacted my spiritual, physical, mental and emotional life.  I do feel healthier all around.

If you’re interested in getting more info on how to order, shoot me an email:

brian@brianfriedl.com

#cleanse, #victory, #health, #weightloss

I was reading in 1 Corinthians 9 this morning and came across this passage:

 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

The word discipline literally translates to “bruise”.  After reading this one question rang in my head.  How serious am I about my relationship with Christ?  Do I really make an effort to make my body my “slave”.  Am I really making no provision for my flesh as the Word calls me to?  Am I running in a way so that I may win?  Or, do I quickly give in and let my actions fall under “I am a sinner saved by grace”.  While the former is true, it doesn’t excuse me from giving everything I have to running the race.

This cleanse has been a challenge for me no doubt.  I have realized that food is one of my subtle comforters.  I must not let anything other than the Trinity be my comforter, lest I be disappointed and fall into sin.  We must realize the hope and strength we have in our God above all else.  Christ’s finished work at the cross is our ultimate source of comfort. May you find peace and hope in Him today as you make your body your slave to obey our Father in heaven.

AFTER DAY 4

Only one day to go.  I have to admit I was slightly disappointed when I read that I should be feeling the effects of the cleanse and an increase in energy yesterday.  In all reality the only thing I felt was hungry.  While the rest of my family was having Ham, gravy, and mashed potatoes, I was having 10oz of shakes, and a small portion of fruit.  It was really tempting to give in, but I was reminded of the above verse.  I’m doing this to help bring my body into submission.  I must discipline my body not to get whatever it wants but that it my serve my spirit who walks with Christ.

#cleanse, #discipline, #freedom, #victory

One of the things about cleansing is that it’s not always fun.  When God cleanses us, it can be an extremely painful process letting go of unhealthy patterns. We are so used to a quick-fix world that sometimes we run from any work or pain.

If we truly want to leave sin and have success during temptation, we must not bypass the first step outlined in James 4:7

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Cleansing requires submission.  You must be willing to let go of any other comforter other than the Holy Spirit.  We will always do what we believe will satisfy us.  It doesn’t matter if it’s food, drugs, work, or any other of the world’s comforters.  If we believe we need something more than than what God has provided, we are putting ourselves on the throne.

As someone who has struggled with addictions, this is becomes blatantly obvious and frustrating, until you realize the beautiful freedom and victory found in surrendering all to the one who has victory over every battle.  Submit today to your Lord and Savior and He will be your victory over any struggle you are facing.  Turn from your sin and let Him be your strength.

AFTER DAY 3

Day 3 was a little more difficult for some reason.  I was more hungry.  The day in general had more stress factors and it’s day 3 of gloomy rain showers.  I didn’t sleep well last night due to kids being up in the middle of the night and I developed a cough so my chest felt like it was on fire.  I subsided that with using R.C. Essential Oil, but still couldn’t seem to sleep.  This is a good test of submission for strength.  I always knew I depended a lot on food and have only done short fasts in the past.  This is opening my eyes even more to how much I value physical food.  One more area to submit I guess

Here’s a good illustration of submitting to God I found a while back – Enjoy!

 http://skitguys.com/videos/item/gods-chisel

#submit, #cleanse, #freedom, #victory

Sometimes the lack of care can be linked to a sin of selfishness, gluttony, etc. Maybe there are foods that you are addicted to that are literally destroying your temple.  In any case, we must remember that God wants to use every part of us for His glory and He deserves this free reign in light of all He has done for us.  Turn from any sins you commit against your body (temple) and pursue Christ.  You are master over your body

The longer I live the more I desire to diligently make sure that I am in full submission to God in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  This takes work and can seem exhausting at times.  You will succeed when the effort is driven by a love for our Savior and a continued focus on Him.  I continue to pray often for all of you reading that you may experiences the surpassing knowledge of the depths of Christ’s love.

After Day 2

2 Days down and feeling great!  Yesterday included 3 Digest + Cleanse capsules, 3 shakes, 2 oz of Ningxia Red (3 times), Water, 1 pear, celery, Almond Butter, and 1/2 C Blueberries.  My hunger is way better than I thought it would be and no headache for day two.  I had plenty of energy to complete my normal core strengthening, 1.5 mi jog/walk as well as fixing 2 projects of broken doors in the house.  I slept well again last night.  I will say this: When they indicate that you may experience some gas they mean it.  There are all kinds of changes going in stomach-wise with the cleanse and it definitely has an impact.    Looking forward to living Day 3!

#youngliving, #cleanse, #detox, #health, #templeofgod

One of my favorite verses in all of scripture is 1 John 1:9; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness.  What an awesome promise.  Not only does He rescue us from our selves and our sin, but then He continues a work in us to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

Our physical bodies need cleansing as well.  I believe in our fast-paced culture, we have a tendency to neglect the physical body and it takes a toll on us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well.  We can not neglect one component of our health and expect it will not impact the others.

With money being the drive in our modern food systems, we now have an extreme loss of nutrition and even some toxic chemicals entering our body more than ever before.  We have to have a way to break the chemical bonds with these substances in our body so our bodies can function as they were designed to by our Creator.

I recently attended a 3 day intensive class including Chemistry of Essential Oils and how they work in our bodies.  More than ever I was convinced I needed to Detox my body by doing a cleanse.  I’m going to do my own experiment to see if I notice any changes in my health and post them here over the next 5 days.

My wife and I are currently distributors for Young Living Essential Oils so I’m using the YL 5 Day Nutritive Cleanse.  You can get more info on ordering or email us at:

http://www.familyhomesteadoils.com

After Day 1

Yesterday was day 1 for my cleanse.  I’ll be honest with you.  I normally consume over 3000 Calories a day so I was a little hungry.  Not as hungry as I expected to be though.  I did look through the meal plan and buy every possible snack I could find just in case my hunger increases.  I would recommend going to the store and buying the snacks before you start the cleanse.  It was quite tempting walking past the fried chicken in the deli.   I generally had plenty of energy but also a slight headache at the end of the day.  I was thankful to have my blueberry snack before bed.  I slept incredibly well last night even in spite of an in the middle of the night interruption of a bed-wetting.  Ready to see what today brings!

#cleanse #detox #youngliving #health